ZICARELLI: With basketball world watching, Raptors have chance to shine

Basketball life without Kyle Lowry didn’t go as smoothly for the Raptors, the expected flaws exposed when your floor general is out with an injury.

The good news is that Lowry’s bruised tailbone has been deemed as one of those day-to-day propositions, a short-term setback forcing others to step up in his absence.

Against Miami Tuesday night, the ball didn’t move as well without Lowry, leading to a lot of missed shots and a disjointed offence.

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) reacts as he is carried off by teammates during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

It did come on the heels of an overtime win the night previous in Brooklyn, the same night when Lowry fell violently to the floor.

Still, the Raptors did hold a one-point lead against the Heat, a lead that should have been extended to four had Norman Powell buried an open look from distance. He missed and then the Raptors blew a defensive assignment late, allowing Wayne Ellington an easy baseline drive to the hole with 0.3 seconds remaining in a 90-89 loss as Toronto’s home win streak ended at 12 in a row.

The good thing about the NBA is another game looms and it doesn’t get any bigger in terms of profile with LeBron James coming to the ACC Thursday night followed by Steph Curry on Saturday night.

Chubbs (L) and Lebron James attend as Lebron James hosts Dwyane Wade’s Birthday with The House Of Remy Martin at Drake’s New Pick 6ix Restaurant on January 9, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for Remy Martin)

The Raps and Cavs have met in the past two springs, Cleveland taking the Eastern Conference final in six games in 2015-16, then sweeping Toronto in last year’s second round.

The Warriors have always taken the Raptors’ best shot, the pace of play always high with plenty of shots getting exchanged. Mind you, the Raptors haven’t beaten the Warriors in almost four years, having dropped seven straight to Golden State entering this weekend’s matchup.

Curry has lit up the Raptors since he entered the league. Anyone who came to watch his dad, Dell, play when Butch Carter was Toronto’s head coach would have noticed this kid heaving half-court shots as the pros were warming up.

Curry has a special place for Toronto and James has always spoken glowingly about the atmosphere at the Air Canada Centre and the rabid nature of the Raptors’ fan base.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) fixes his hair toward Drake and Raptors bench after making a three in Toronto on November 16, 2016. Craig Robertson/Toronto Sun

There aren’t many players who can draw a crowd and, in James and Curry, it doesn’t get any bigger for Toronto and the profile each demands.

The test for Toronto is to forget about Tuesday’s loss to the Heat and move on with the Cavs up next.

Cleveland, who practised in Toronto on Wednesday, were blown out by the host Timberwolves Monday night. Thursday’s tip is the first of a back-to-back set for Cleveland, as they play in Indiana Friday.

Isaiah Thomas will make his first appearance in Toronto as a member of the Cavs, slowly getting his feet wet with his new teammates.

The road hasn’t been kind to the Cavs, including their 127-99 beatdown in Minnesota, Cleveland’s most lopsided loss of the season.

As James would like everyone to know, it’s all about the playoffs, a time when the King always summons his best. The same could be said about the Raptors, whose season will ultimately be defined when the post-season rolls around.

This group has been resilient when adversity strikes and not having Lowry did have impact against Miami.

Every game provides valuable teaching lessons and now it’s time to put them into use. Against Miami, the Raptors recorded 15 assists, DeMar DeRozan leading the way with six. He missed 19 shots.

The key stat to emerge was the 20 offensive rebounds the Heat recorded and the plus-27 in overall rebounding.

It didn’t help, either, when Serge Ibaka was tossed in the third quarter following an incident with James Johnson.

“I’m not sure,’’ said head coach Dwane Casey when asked if lack of ball movement was the direct result of not having Lowry on the floor. “I have to look at it. It was a multitude of things. Probably guys feeling that they have to do more without Kyle out there.

“We’ll have to develop a rhythm. Again, you hate for it to come down to a last minute possession like that, but again, we dug ourselves that whole way in the beginning of the game.”

Toronto also had a foul to give, but didn’t use it as OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam appeared to have failed to communicate on the switch that allowed Ellington a clear path to the rim.

“Again, it wasn’t executed,’’ Casey said of the defensive breakdown. “I don’t know exactly who made the mistake. We have a foul to give down the stretch. We want to make sure we execute it.”

At the end of the day, it’s all about execution on either end of the floor.

The Raptors will have to be at their best in the coming days. The basketball buzz will be in the air, the kind of atmosphere only the game’s very elite can create.

Fans at the ACC get inspired and that energy will feed the Raptors, who can use a dose of excitement.

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ZICARELLI: With basketball world watching, Raptors have chance to shine